Promises
by Gemini14
Summary: A new quest has begun! Now Lina and Co. must travel to Lodoss in order to rescue Xellos. Do they have a prayer at defeating the new evil looming over them? Will they get to Xellos in time? RR please! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter One

Promises

Chapter One

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Zelgadis muttered for the umpteenth time that morning. 

"Believe it." Filia said, moodily. Since Xellos had been kidnapped, she'd been in a foul mood. 

"Are we taking enough food this time?" Amelia asked, sincerely hoping to prevent a repeat of the last time they had been out at sea.

"Enough food would mean bringing enough to sink this ship." Zelgadis mumbled, scrambling up the rigging when Lina took a swing at him with her sword. 

"Watch it!" Lina shouted, threateningly, as Zelgadis glared down at her.

"That's enough you two. We don't have time for this. Every moment we waste here could put Xellos into even more danger." Rain said, as she climbed on board and prevented Lina from 'Dragon Slave-ing' the wooden craft, and all else around them. 

"Are we ready to go?" Gourry asked. 

"Almost. There is someone else coming along with us." Rain said, as another man climbed aboard, a look of eagerness on his boyish face. 

"Who is that?" Zelgadis asked, from his safe perch above the deck.

"Everyone, this is Teim, the Blue Priest. A personal friend of mine." Rain introduced, as the youthful priest nodded to them, with a smile. 

"ACK! Another priest?!" Gourry yelped, getting a warm laugh from Teim. 

"Yes, I am a priest. One out of four. Unfortunately, Rain and I are the only ones that remain of the Four Sages of the Age." Teim said, calmly. 

"How sad. We know what happened to Rezo, but what happened to the last one?" Zelgadis asked.

"No one knows. He just disappeared one day. The White Priest hasn't heard from in a long time. It's my guess that he vanished shortly after Shabranigdo was destroyed. Why, we have yet to figure out." Teim replied, as Zelgadis came down from his perch, but kept safely away from Lina while he was at it. 

"Shall we go ahead and set sail?" Filia asked. Rain nodded. 

"Yes. The sooner we do, the sooner we reach Lodoss and find out where that monster had taken Xellos." Rain said, as the sails were unfurled and they started on their journey.

"This is it. We might not see this place for a while." Lina murmured, as she watched the mainland fade from sight.

"We'll return, don't worry about that." Gourry said, gently, as he stood close to Lina, but didn't hold her, knowing that if he did without her consent, she would fireball him. He smiled when she snuggled into him, taking comfort in his warmth. Since the rest of the group had gone below decks, Lina felt secure in showing Gourry that she cared for him. No one was looking. 

Meanwhile, an evil ruler watched as two monstrous guards brought a limp figure before him. An evil smile graced his features. Revenge would be sweet. 

"Xellos! What a pleasant surprise!" the ruler said, as he descended from his throne, just as Xellos regained consciousness.

"What……………..what do you want?" Xellos choked, as the ruler gazed ferally down at him. 

"What I want, is revenge. Plain and simple, Xellos." The ruler said, as dragon wings emerged from his back.

"Demon Dragon…………………" Xellos whispered.

"That's right, Xellos. I am the last of a race of dragons that was corrupted by a Dark Lord. A race that the Ancient Dragons, Mazoku, and Ryuzoku formed an alliance against and destroyed with one blow. I am Tern, the Demon Dragon!" the ruler said, as he slashed Xellos' chest, enjoying the outcry of pain from the helpless Mazoku.

"Why……………? Why are you doing this……………..?" Xellos asked, coughing as blood bubbled into the back of his throat.

"I want to destroy the Mazoku. Make them feel the wrath of one they have destroyed. And with the information you will give me, I will do it." Tern snarled, as he tilted Xellos' chin up with his clawed hand, his claws pricking the skin on Xellos' face and causing blood to drip off. 

"I won't…………………I won't do it………………" Xellos whispered, stubbornly.

"You will, or that precious Ryuzoku of yours will be the first to die when I send my first wave." Tern threatened, menacingly.

"You………………You wouldn't dare……………" Xellos snarled, prevented from doing anything when a guard wrenched his arm painfully behind his back.

"I can, and I will. Either you give me what I want, or she will be the first to die." Tern snarled, his eyes glowing crimson as his temper rose. 

"Never……………" Xellos whispered, stubbornly.

"We'll see how stubborn you are when your beloved is dead beneath the waves." Tern said, as he put his back to Xellos.

"No!" Xellos cried, when he saw a storm serpent appear before the evil king.

"Go forth, storm serpent. Seek out the ship that has the famed Lina Inverse on board and break it into a thousand pieces!" Tern growled.

"As you will it, Master." The storm serpent hissed, as it slithered away. 

"What shall we do with this scum, your Highness?" one of the guards asked.

"Throw him in the dungeon. We'll see how resistant he is after he's had a few days of solitary confinement." Tern said, in a low, rumbling tone. 

"As you will it, Master." The guards said, in unison, as they dragged Xellos off. 

"You won't get away with this!" Xellos screamed, furiously.

"Oh, but I already have, Xellos. I already have." Tern sneered, as he returned to his throne and watched what was happening at sea through a crystal ball.

Rain watched as storm clouds gathered on the horizon.

"_That isn't normal_…………….." Rain thought, as she watched the clouds get darker and closer. 

"Everyone! Trim the sails! There's a storm on the way!" Rain shouted, as the wind abruptly picked up. Quickly, everyone scrambled to obey the command and struggled to hang on as the wind got worse. 

"Gourry! Tie this down!" Zelgadis shouted, as he tossed a rope to Gourry. Gourry nodded and quickly tied it down, struggling to keep his balance on the now rain-soaked decks. 

"This isn't a normal storm!" Lina shouted, over the wind, as Amelia and Filia also hung on. Just when she'd finished saying that, Lina saw Gourry disappear.

"Gourry!" Lina screamed, as she rushed to the other side of the ship, where Gourry had been standing moments before. 

"Gourry!" Lina shouted, again, as fear started taking hold in her mind. 

"Zelgadis-san?! Where is he?!" Amelia asked, when she'd found that he too had gone missing. Then, without warning, something burst out of the water and onto the deck.

"A storm serpent!" Teim shouted, about to prepare a spell but stopping when he saw that Gourry and Zelgadis had their swords buried to their hilts in the body of the beast. 

"Gourry! Hang on! You too, Zelgadis!" Rain shouted, as she produced a sword from nowhere and dove into the melee. 

"Rain……………….and you wondered why we never took you anywhere! You are reckless!" Teim muttered, as he brought his own sword out and charged into the fray. Within moments, the battle was over. With a quick levitation spell, the carcass was cast into the sea and the storm abated. When the sun came out, all of those on board sat back to catch their breaths, then Lina walked over to Gourry, with the intent to hurt. She nearly slipped in something wet on the way there.

"Huh?" Lina asked, looking down and nearly freaking out when she saw blood on the deck, where Gourry had been only moments before.

"Lina, he's been bitten." Zelgadis said, as he worked on getting a tourniquet onto Gourry's right leg, that of which was bleeding heavily from two fang wounds. 

"Let me see." Teim said, as he gently moved Lina aside and looked at the wounds.

"Can you help him?" Lina asked, in a subdued voice, all thought of getting after Gourry for his recklessness gone. 

"I can, but it will take time. I need to diffuse the poison. Rain, I am going to need your help." Teim said, grimly, as Gourry moaned softly.

"Right. Hang on, Gourry." Rain said, as she and Teim started working on Gourry right on the spot. 

"Come on, Lina, we need to get the sails loose again." Zelgadis said, as he gently led Lina away, who, uncharacteristically followed silently after him. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

For the three weeks they were at sea, Lina and her group were attacked numerous times, but they all somehow managed to escape, thanks to efforts of those on board. Gourry had survived his injury, but was threatened to within an inch of his life by Lina, who threatened to finish him off herself, if he ever tried a stunt like that again. On the last day of the sea journey, land was sighted.

"Now what island is this? Is this Lodoss?" Lina asked, as she and her group gathered at the rail to take a look at the land.

"No. This isn't Lodoss. I don't recognize this island at all." Rain said, as she eyed the beautiful land and harbor. 

"Well, let's ask someone what this island's name is." Teim suggested, since he had also been born on Lodoss, many years prior. 

"Good idea!" Amelia agreed calling out to one of the sailors in the harbor as their ship started to dock.

"Excuse me! But what island is this?" Amelia asked. 

"This is Marmo, milady!" one sailor replied, smartly. Rain and Teim nearly fell over.

"Marmo?! Are you sure?!?" Rain asked, in disbelief. The sailor nodded.

"Aye. This certainly is Marmo. Hard ta believe, ain't it? Few years ago, it was as desolate as the Legendary Labyrinth, but then Marfa purified this island. Who woulda thought that Marmo could be such a pretty place?" another sailor said.

"Pretty indeed." Amelia murmured, mystified by the island's beauty. 

"It's still hard to believe that this is Marmo! What else has changed around here?" Rain asked, as the ship was tied into place.

"Well, there was a marble bridge built between this island and Lodoss, since the two islands are now trading with one another and sea travel can sometimes be dangerous." The first sailor said, as the gangplank was lowered and the travelers got off. 

"No kidding……….." Lina muttered, sarcastically. Then their attention was caught by a huge commotion, as a man and woman came riding into the busy area near the harbor.

"King Ashram!" the sailors murmured, as a regal man in black armor rode along, talking with the woman who rode beside him.

"Oh wow…………..that's a Dark Elf he's talking to!" Teim muttered, as he looked at the two, who were talking pleasantly with one another. 

"I feel tremendous power from those two………..what is with them?" Lina asked, as she, Amelia, and Filia watched them. 

"Oh! I think I know! Those two are connected in some way!" Amelia said, a little too loudly for Lina's liking, for it got the king's attention. Immediately, Lina and her group was fixed with the coal black gaze of King Ashram. 

"Eeep." Lina muttered, as the king and Dark Elf dismounted and approached them on foot. 

"She's right you know." The dark king said, in a quiet, yet resonant voice.

"Huh?" Lina asked, dumbfounded about that remark. 

"We are connected by both marriage vows and a gift bestowed on us by Oberon, King of the Fairies. By the way, I am Pirotess, and this is Ashram." The Dark Elf said, introducing herself and the king. 

"P-pleased to meet you………….eheh." Lina said, thoroughly shaken, but not for long.

"So you married a Dark Elf? And you say that Oberon gave you a gift; what was that gift?" Rain asked. 

"That is a bit of a personal question. One that is better discussed in a more private setting. So I extend an invitation to you for you to stay in the castle for a few days, since you are all obviously not normal visitors here." Ashram said, not perturbed in the least by Rain's boldness. 

"Wow! Thank you!" Amelia said, thrilled with getting invited to stay in a foreign castle.

"It's no problem. The new castle has many guest-rooms. And do not worry, I am not talking about a dungeon, either." Ashram said, chuckling when he heard a relieved 'Thank goodness!' from Gourry and a few relieved sighs from Zelgadis and Filia. 

"Are we gonna eat too?" Lina asked, getting a face-fault from her companions. Ashram arched and eyebrow and looked at his wife.

"Of course we are!" Pirotess said, getting a whoop from Lina.

"I'm in! Let's go!" Lina shouted, gleefully. Then Filia stepped up.

"Your Highness, we are all thankful for your invitation, but we are on a rescue mission. One of our own was kidnapped not long ago by an evil being. Please, sir, do you know of anything unusual going on?" Filia asked, practically begging the human king for information. For a moment, Ashram sat stock-still, then he sighed and his eyes took on a grim look.

"As a matter of fact, there is something going on. You see, the mainland of Alacrast is mostly cut off from Marmo and Lodoss, but, lately, all of the kings of Lodoss' kingdoms and I have been receiving declarations of war from the kingdoms on the mainland. We can't figure out why they want to attack us. Thus far, a number of sea battles have been fought between Kanon's armada and Alacrast. King Fiona has asked me several times to send my armada up there to help, but that would leave Heroes' Bridge defenseless. Personally, I'm tired of fighting, but I am not going to let Alacrast run Marmo into the ground. We worked too hard for this." Ashram said, with quiet anger in his voice.

"We?" Gourry asked, from the back of the group.

"It's a long story." Ashram said, quietly.

"Ah." Gourry said, satisfied with Ashram's answer. 

"But what does this have to do with Xellos?" Lina asked, as she turned and looked at Filia.

"Usually, evil happenings are sometimes connected to evil occurrences. I'm beginning to think that your friend has been kidnapped by something hiding in Alacrast. If we can solve the problem there, Alacrast will probably forget about attacking the two islands!" Teim said, as what he said sank into Pirotess. 

"You might be on to something! It seems that we will have to go to Lodoss and gather some company to make a trip to Alacrast." Pirotess said, as she looked eagerly at her husband.

"Why do I have the feeling that I will never be able to talk you out of this?" Ashram asked, as he gave his wife an unreadable look.

"Because I will argue with you for eternity if you tried!" Pirotess said, victoriously, getting a snicker from Lina and a rolling of eyes from Gourry. 

"But will we be able to convince them to come with us?" Zelgadis asked.

"I don't see why not. We'll be asking some close friends of ours to come along, and they are the active types, anyway." Pirotess said, with a smile.

"So, will we be getting paid for this?" Lina asked, getting a face fault from all of them this time.

"We'll see." Ashram said, reminded of a loudmouthed friend in a neighboring kingdom when he listened to Lina's remark. 

"What's that mean?" Lina asked.

"Isn't rescuing your friend more important?" Ashram asked, as he motioned to the stable hand to go and get some more horses. 

"He's no friend of mine." Lina muttered.

"That's what the singer said about the hound dog." Ashram muttered, as he remounted his horse and waited for the extra horses to be brought. 

"What was that?!" Lina asked, now pissed.

"Nothing. By the way, what do you all call yourselves?" Ashram asked.

"I'm Lina Inverse, and this is Gourry Gabriev, Zelgadis Greywords, Amelia Wil Tesla Seiruun, Filia Ul Copt, Rain the Green Priestess and Teim the Blue Priest. There, did I miss anyone?" Lina asked, as she turned around and looked at her group.

"No, I believe you have mentioned everyone." Teim said, as he mounted on one of the extra horses, nodding politely to the stable hand who held it still as he did so. 

"Let's get going! If we get started now, we'll be able to reach Flaim by dusk." Pirotess said, getting a non-enthusiastic reaction from her husband.

"You know Kashue hates me, Pirotess." Ashram muttered, as he moved to the front. 

"All the more reason to go to Flaim. You get to be an annoyance and you might be able to get young Spark to travel with us." Pirotess replied, giggling after she got an unreadable look from Ashram.

"Pirotess, you're going to be the death of me." Ashram mumbled, as he kicked his horse sharply in the flanks and started riding off at a full gallop. 

"All right! For once we're not walking!" Lina shouted, as she quickly followed after the king and queen. 

"I am beginning to think that Lina will be the death of all of us." Zelgadis muttered, as they all followed Lina. Gourry could only nod in agreement. For the rest of the day, the group was on the move; stopping only long enough to get lunch in one small coastal town before continuing. Even though Lina appeared to be enjoying herself, she kept looking back at Gourry with some concern. She had to admit, riding was faster than walking, but the ride was agony for someone who'd suffered a leg injury and was still recovering from it. Zelgadis nearly jumped from his saddle when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but sighed with relief when he found that it was only Gourry. They had slowed to a walk, so Gourry was now alongside Zelgadis.

"What is wrong?" Zelgadis asked, turning to Gourry so he could speak to him.

"My leg hurts……………." Gourry trailed off as he suddenly passed out.

"Amelia! Get over here!" Zelgadis shouted, as he caught Gourry before he could fall.

"What's wrong…………..?!" Amelia asked, stopping when she saw that Zelgadis was lowering Gourry from his horse. 

"Gourry!" Lina yelped, as she and the rest of the group turned their attention to the wounded man. 

"It seems that he's bleeding again." Amelia said, as she started on a healing spell for the leg. 

"What happened?" Ashram asked, concerned for the blond swordsman.

"He got bitten by a storm serpent while we were at sea. We managed to get the poison out, but we didn't have the strength to seal the holes caused by the fangs." Teim said, as he tore a strip of cloth from his robe and tied it securely around the leg. 

"Then let's get him to some shade. He'll dehydrate quicker if we leave him out in the sun." Ashram said, as he picked up and carried Gourry to the shelter of a rocky outcrop. Once there, Ashram assumed command.

"Pirotess, ride ahead to Flaim and see if you can get some help, preferably either Hobb or Grievus. If you can get Neese, that will also be all right, but this man needs attention only a specialist healer can provide. Hurry, now, there isn't much time!" Ashram ordered. Pirotess nodded, slipping back into her old role of being Ashram's servant. Then Ashram turned to Lina.

"Do you know any healing magic?" Ashram asked.

"Yeah! I'm on it!" Lina said, getting the message and leaping in to assist Amelia. 

"What can we do?" Zelgadis asked, as he, Rain, and Teim looked at Ashram.

"Keep an eye on our surroundings. There's something that's been following us since we left Marmo. It would be best if we kept ourselves on the alert." Ashram said, getting a nod from Zelgadis and the two remaining Sages. It wasn't long before Ashram's point was proven. 

"Rain! Dark Elf!" Teim shouted, when a half-crazed elf attacked from nowhere. Rain blasted it with her magic.

"Ra-Tilt!" Zelgadis shouted, as he fired off his shamanist attack, blowing two more elves into oblivion. When the Dark Elves had retreated, something even worse appeared before them.

"No…………….." Rain muttered, as they were surrounded by these new beings.

"What are they?" Zelgadis asked, as he unsheathed his sword.

"Orcs…………" Teim said, answering Zelgadis' question with a note of dread in his voice. 

"Damn." Ashram growled, as he also unsheathed his sword. Then the battle royale began. Lina watched, tensely, as the other four defended them. 

"Lina…………what's going on…………..?" Gourry asked, weakly.

"Don't try to talk, Gourry. Reserve your strength." Lina said, gently, ignoring his question completely. Both Lina and Amelia looked up when Zelgadis cried out in pain.

"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia screamed, as she watched Zelgadis get thrown from the battle and landed not far from where she and Lina crouched. Zelgadis winced as he struggled to lift his head, and felt despair rise in him when the Orc appeared over him and started to raise its sword, ready to deliver a killing blow. Then, suddenly, a brilliant light incinerated the Orc before it could fell the blow.

"Where the hell?!" Lina asked, as the culprits appeared.

"Elves!" Amelia shouted, with relief in her voice. 

"And High Elves at that!" Rain added, when she'd noticed the circlets the elves wore. 

"Are you all okay?" one elf asked, as he looked at Lina and Amelia.

"We're fine, but please, check on Zelgadis-san!" Amelia said, looking over at the young man's still form. Zelgadis gazed painfully at one elf who had approached him and was checking him over for wounds. 

"Hang on, young warrior." The elf said, as he started healing the wounds he'd found. 

"Who………….who are you?" Zelgadis asked.

"I am known as Sheen. I'm the resident Mairi cleric in this group." The elf replied, as he applied the healing warmth to a gash in Zelgadis' abdomen. 

"Mairi………?" Zelgadis asked, as drowsiness started to cloud his brain. 

"Hai." Sheen said, before Zelgadis drifted off into deep slumber. 

"Is Zelgadis-san going to be all right?" Amelia asked, worriedly.

"If Sheen is taking care of him, then you have nothing to worry about. By the way, I am Cecil, leader of this warrior group. And you are?" another elf asked, as he looked at Lina.

"I'm Lina, and this is Amelia. This guy here is Gourry and the one your man is taking care of is Zelgadis. Rain and Teim are over there with King Ashram." Lina replied, as she pointed out the three figures talking with a group of elfin warriors.

"But what happened to Filia-san?" Amelia asked, suddenly realizing that the dragon maiden was nowhere to be seen.

"Right here." Filia said, as she walked back over to the group, a self-satisfied smirk covering her face. 

"She took care of something, that much is certain." Lina said, as Amelia nodded in agreement, all of them looking up when they heard hoofbeats approaching.

"It seems that you will be having an escort the rest of the way to Flaim." One elf commented to Lina, as Gourry and Zelgadis were loaded onto stretchers and carried between two horsemen apiece. 

"Seems that way." Lina murmured, as she watched a group of knights approach, led by Pirotess and a blue-haired knight. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The moment they had set foot in Flaim, a sensation went through the kingdom. There were a great many people who had heard of the exploits of Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. They (Lina and her group) were greeted with and given a hero's welcome, but Lina didn't notice it. Her mind was on Gourry. As he'd done on a previous time of getting hurt, he never complained once about the pain until the moment he'd collapsed. 

"Okay! Knock it off, people! By Marfa! You all act like you've never even seen heroes before! Move aside so they can get through!" a voice, not unlike Lina's, shouted over the din. At once, the people parted, making a clear path for the group to get through. It was then that Lina saw their benefactor; another High Elf!

"Well, if it isn't High Elf Deedlit! How goes it with you and Parn?" Ashram asked, greeting the High Elf female with all civility. 

"It goes well, King Ashram. I would ask how things are going for you, but I see that there are two wounded men that need a healer's attention." Deedlit said, as she looked at the two unconscious forms of Zelgadis and Gourry. 

"Yes. I take it that Grievus and Hobb were too busy tending to someone here?" Ashram asked. Deedlit's expression darkened.

"It's King Kashue, Ashram. He's dying." Deedlit murmured, grimly. 

"Dying?" Ashram asked, stunned by the news.

"Yes. He fell ill quite suddenly. No one knows just what is wrong with him." Deedlit said.

"Hey, I know that this is depressing, but can we please get Gourry and Zel to some healers? If we don't move soon, they'll be dead along with that king!" Lina shouted, not caring whether or not she was being tactless. Deedlit gave her a scathing glare, but said nothing. Then the blue haired knight spoke up.

"She is right. I hate to say this, but there really is nothing more we can do for King Kashue. If he'd been poisoned, then I am sure Priest Hobb and Priest Grievus would have determined that by now." the blue haired knight said, calmly. Deedlit stared in shock at the blue haired knight and pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Nope, you don't appear to have a fever." Deedlit said, getting a dirty look from the young knight while she was at it. Amelia, Lina, Rain, and Filia giggled despite themselves; it was an almost action for action repeat of what had been done the night Zelgadis had gotten his cure. 

"What're you…………laughing at?" came a murmured question from one of the stretchers. 

"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia yelped, as she rushed back over to his side and saw that he'd regained consciousness. 

"How do ya feel, Zel?" Lina asked, almost wincing when she saw the bloodstained cloth around Zelgadis' middle.

"Like death warmed over. I certainly didn't miss this when I was a freak." Zelgadis said, with some sarcasm in his tone, before wincing and putting a hand to his side. By now, people were giving them peculiar looks. They had obviously overlooked the fact that the famed Lina Inverse had supposedly traveled with a chimera in the past and that it was absent from the group.

"Let's get inside the castle walls. Then we'll see if Neese can heal their wounds." The blue haired knight said, as he motioned to the guards on top of the wall to open the gate. 

As the hours passed, Lina found herself wandering around the castle grounds. She ended up under a tree.

"Hello there." A male voice greeted, from above. Startled, Lina looked up and saw a knight sitting in the branches. 

"Hey." Lina replied, surprising herself when she didn't fireball him for 'sneaking up' on her.

"Sorry if I startled you. You seem a little down. Anything troubling you?" the knight asked, as he came down from the tree. 

"Just sorta worried about a friend, that's all." Lina said, as she took in the knight's appearance. He was tall, with tousled brown hair and ocean blue eyes that were tinged with a little sadness, but much experience gained wisdom. He wore gold armor, that looked like it had seen plenty of action. Draped over his shoulders was a cape that matched his eyes. As she took in the rest of his appearance, she noticed the slight pulse of power emanating from the sword he carried. 

"Is that a holy sword?" Lina asked, catching the knight off guard.

"It is. This is the Holy Sword of Valis. It once belonged to King Fahn." The knight said, quietly, as though remembering that fact pained him. 

"Ah…………..So, what's your name?" Lina asked.

"My name is Parn." The knight replied, as he offered a hand out to shake hers. 

"Mine's Lina Inverse! So, you're the famous Knight of Lodoss, eh?" Lina asked, getting a somewhat embarrassed look from the knight.

"Yes, I am. Quite a bit has been said around here about you, as well. Especially about the death of Shabranigdo. Over here, the people compare it to the slaying of the demon dragon, Shooting Star." Parn said, cringing when he heard a particularly long string of expletives coming from the barracks. 

"Who the hell………?!" Lina asked, as a tall mercenary entered the courtyard. 

"Garrack! Watch your tongue! There's a dying king upstairs and two men getting healed in the chamber just adjacent to this yard! Have the decency to shut your mouth!" Parn snapped, furiously. The desired effect of the calling down was definitely seen on the man that now stood in the courtyard. 

"Sorry, Sir Parn." Garrack said, looking somewhat embarrassed about his outburst. Parn still looked angry, but he said nothing else to Garrack.

"Want me to fireball him?" Lina asked, also immediately taking a dislike to the loud, rude man.

"As much as I might want you to right now, I don't think you should. Why don't we go in and see how Neese is coming along with the healing." Parn suggested, as he gently led Lina out of the courtyard. Lina, though she didn't want to admit it, admired Parn's quiet diffusing of the situation. 

"_He's obviously seen destructive power before and doesn't want to see any more._" Lina thought, as she and the Knight of Lodoss silently entered the room where Zelgadis and Gourry were being healed. Lina watched as a small built, lavender-haired girl kneeled over the inert forms of the two wounded men, whispering prayers as she worked her healing magic on both men. 

"_Such power! Not even in Seiruun did I feel this kind of power from any one person!_" Lina thought, as she watched the girl finish what she was doing and stand up straight again. With a graceful move, she turned and faced Lina and Parn. 

"Sir Parn! Sorceress Lina! I didn't know that you were watching me! I'm so sorry for being so rude!" the girl said, obviously abashed by what she took as rudeness on her part.

"Think nothin' of it! How's Gourry and Zel? Are they going to be all right now?" Lina asked, as she looked over at the two men.

"Yes. They will be quite all right, though they will sleep the rest of the day, since they had lost some blood before arriving here." Neese said, as she gazed at the two sleeping figures. 

"That's good." Lina muttered, relief in her voice. 

"Neese, have you seen Deed and Cecil anywhere? I need to speak to them." Parn said, seriously.

"I think they're in the main audience chamber. Last thing I'd heard was that they were holding a meeting there with the members of Lina's group and a few of your old friends, Sir Parn." Neese said.

"Thank you, Neese. Lina, care to come along?" Parn asked.

"I think I'll stay here for a few minutes more. Ya'll go on ahead, you can brief me later on what ya'll decide." Lina said, as she gestured for both of them to leave. 

"Okay then. See you later then." Parn said, as he and Neese left, leaving Lina alone with Gourry and Zelgadis. Carefully, so she wouldn't disturb them, Lina sat down beside Gourry's bed and watched as he slept. 

"_He looks so peaceful._" Lina thought, as an uncharacteristically tender smile crossed her features. Without even noticing what she was doing, she brushed a strand of golden blond hair off Gourry's face, noticing when his eyebrows twitched just slightly. 

"Gourry?" Lina asked, softly. Responding to his name being called, Gourry opened his eyes and smiled tiredly at her. 

"Lina………" Gourry whispered.

"Shh. Rest up. How does your leg feel?" Lina asked, gently.

"Better. Doesn't hurt anymore. Are you all right?" Gourry asked. At first Lina was surprised that he'd been concerned about her, but then again…………

"I'm fine. And you will be too, after you get some sleep. If anything, we're soon gonna have some company traveling with us that's almost as famous as we are. Do you think you can handle that?" Lina asked.

"I can handle anything………….so long as you're with me, Lina." Gourry admitted, before drifting back off to sleep. Lina blushed, secretly glad that Zelgadis hadn't heard what had been said, nor seen her reaction. Before she stood and walked out of the room, Lina gently placed a kiss on Gourry's forehead, confident that no one had seen. After she had left, Zelgadis' eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes opened. Moving only slightly, he looked at the door and smiled, a slight, almost secretive smile. He'd finally caught her in the act.

Filia sighed as she watched the sun rise. A decision had been made for them to leave for Kanon at dawn. With a sad sigh, Filia looked away from the sight, knowing that she was wishing she'd had someone to watch the sunrise with her.

"_Hang on, Xellos, we're coming. Just hang on._" Filia thought, as thoughts of a particular Mazoku came to her mind. 

Far away, Xellos perked up when he felt the reassuring thought come straight from Filia. She was safe! Despite the pain he was in, Xellos thanked whatever had been watching over him for keeping Filia safe. Hissing in pain, Xellos propped himself up against a wall and tilted his face upwards.

"_Please hurry, Filia. Even your own darling Mazoku can't handle this much pain._" Xellos thought, knowing that the thought would make Filia angry. As he relaxed for a few moments' sleep, Xellos became aware of the presence of an intruder. Without even opening his eyes, he addressed the intruder.

"Did you find any water?" Xellos asked, smiling when he sensed that he'd startled his unlikely friend.

"I found an underground spring, but I don't have anything to carry water in." a boy's voice said, in response. Xellos cursed his rotten luck, but then the boy said something else.

"Do you think you can handle the walk down there?" the boy asked.

"I don't know. I don't know how far along my old wounds are in healing. And, with my new wounds, I don't know if I will make it." Xellos said, with some disgust in his voice. He hated being helpless!

"Wait a moment! I think I have an idea!" the boy said, as he took a clean cloth out of his pocket (where he'd gotten it, even Xellos didn't know) and dashed off. It was some time before the boy returned, with a sopping wet cloth. Now getting the message as to what the boy had in mind, Xellos allowed the boy to hold the sodden cloth over his mouth so he could catch the precious drops of moisture. After getting all he could from the cloth, Xellos allowed himself to slump against the wall, exhaustion and pain evident in his eyes.

"Do you need anything else, Xellos?" the boy asked, a little worried about the lavender-eyed Mazoku. 

"Some more water would do." Xellos replied, quietly. With a nod, the boy dashed back to the spring, knowing that the Mazoku was weakening. When he returned with the soaked cloth, Xellos had already gone to sleep (or something that resembled it). Cautiously, the boy approached and placed the cloth on Xellos' burning forehead. 

"_How much longer can he continue like this? Even for someone as powerful as he, this is almost too much. As it is, I am too weak right now to get him out of here. I can only hope that outside help comes._" The boy thought, as he watched Xellos very closely, while a weak aura surrounded him, shielding his presence from the demon dragon. He smiled as his sensitive elfin ears picked up on a roar of rage from the higher levels of the castle.

"_Seems as though something has made him angry. I wonder_………….." the boy thought, as he sighed and sat back, waiting for the next time when the wounded Mazoku would wake up. 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Dark clouds gathered overhead as twenty-one riders made their way through the countryside. At Parn's insistence, they had limited the amount of manpower to the men and women who knew the most magic or had the most battlefield experience. 

"So, where are we headed?" Gourry asked, as he rode somewhat behind Parn.

"We're going to Kanon. Hopefully the message we'd sent ahead will get there in time." Parn said, before he drew rein and stopped.

"Whoa! What're we stopping for?!" Lina asked, drawing rein quickly to avoid ramming into Parn. 

"Yeah! What's going on, Parn-san?" Amelia asked, noticing the concerned look on the Free Knight's face. 

"There's something here. The Holy Sword's reacting." Parn said, as he looked around, cautiously. 

"The SoulCrusher is reacting as well. There's something amiss here." Ashram said, as all of the warriors in the group reached for their weapons. 

"Zelgadis, do you think you can use your shamanism to figure it out?" Lina asked. 

"I can try." Zelgadis replied, as he closed his eyes and started concentrating. First he focused on the life energy of the place, then concentrated on the presences he felt from those around him. He knew who was in the group, and how many there were, but when he sensed about forty others, he gasped in alarm.

"Ambush!" Zelgadis shouted, as Orcs burst from the foliage and attacked. 

"Fire Ball!" Lina shouted, as she leaped from her horse and fought back. 

"Freeze Arrow!" Rain cried, sending the attack at some Orcs who had singled her out.

"Ra-Tilt!" Zelgadis and Amelia shouted, sending some more Orcs flying. 

"Spirit of Water, blessed maiden, drown these evil creatures before me!" Deedlit murmured, as she summoned one of the elemental spirits. Cecil stood calmly as Orcs descended upon him. 

"I summon the spirit of the Wind. Carry these beings from my sight!" Cecil cried, as he fought back as well. With fierce cries, Ashram, Parn, Spark and Gourry slashed, sliced, and diced their opponents. 

"Damn, it feels good to fight again!" Ghim shouted, as he swung his ax around, cutting two Orcs in half while he was at it. 

"You may say so!" Leaf shouted, as she used the water spirits to drown a few more Orcs. Even Neese was holding her own against the dark creatures. 

"They aren't as fast as those demon elves we fought about a year ago!" Spark commented, as he stabbed another Orc through the middle. 

"You're right." Ashram agreed, breathlessly, as he cut two more down. After a while, the Orcs, badly beaten, retreated, leaving the group to watch them run. 

"Bah, they weren't even worth it!" Ghim said, as he nonchalantly leaned on his ax. 

"Easy for you to say, Dwarf." Ashram gasped, as he sat down to catch his breath. 

"How many of those things does our enemy have, anyway?!" Lina asked, as she also sat down.

"I don't know, but it was enough to kill our mounts." Spark said, as he gazed at the slain horses.

"It looks like we're walking the rest of the way to Kanon." Grievus murmured, before shouting came to their ears.

"Grievus! Neese! Get over here! Cecil's been hurt!" Leaf shouted, urgently. With concern for the elfin warrior, they all rushed over to where Cecil lay, with an arrow protruding from his chest. 

"It's punctured his lung!" Lina said, as she looked at the wound. The arrow had slipped though a gap in the armor and was now buried deep in Cecil's chest. 

"Damn. Gourry, Spark, hold him down. Neese, Amelia, stand ready to begin healing when I pull this arrow out." Lina ordered, taking command of the situation. 

"What about the rest of us?" Leaf asked.

"Keep an eye out for more Orcs. The ones who'd escaped could still be roaming around." Lina said, as she lifted the elfin breastplate away from Cecil's chest and got a good grip on the arrow. With Gourry and Spark holding the half-elf down, Lina pulled the arrow free.

"Now!" Lina shouted, signaling Amelia and Neese to get started. No sooner was the arrow free, when Neese and Amelia started using their power to heal. While they healed the wound, the others kept watch; wary of anything that moved. Filia watched as shadows fell and the sun was hidden behind some clouds. 

"Smells as though a storm is coming." Sheen said, pricking his ears when distant rumbles of thunder sounded. 

"Better get the tents up, then." Ashram said, as he and some others started doing that. Aldonova, one of the mages that had been brought along because of his magical ability, used a shielding spell in order to keep Neese and Amelia safe while they worked. 

"It seems as though that the storm is going to be a rough one." Pirotess murmured, as a chill wind ruffled her hair. 

"How can you tell?" Zelgadis asked, as he and Gourry salvaged what they could from the dead horses.

"You're not the only one here that knows shamanist magic." Pirotess said, with a smile. Zelgadis nodded, and wisely decided to let the matter drop. When the storm got there, they were well prepared; the tents were up and they were all dry and safe. With an added protection spell cast by Aldonova, they were especially prepared for when the hailstones started falling. The campsite was an unusual one; the tents were all interconnected by attached passages leading out from one large central tent. At the ends of the passages, there were smaller tents; those of which were big enough for two adults. 

"I'm impressed." Parn commented, as Teim and Rain sat off to one side in the central tent, smugly enjoying the praise. 

"I've certainly never seen anything like it." Ashram said, as he sat down near what appeared to be a pit that had some smoldering coals in it.

"This tent is the result of many years of experience getting caught in the rain." Teim said, as a thoroughly pleased Lina Inverse strode in. 

"Rain, you're gonna have to teach me how to do this! This would definitely save money! Rather than going to an inn, we could set up camp outside of a town without paying a single cent!" Lina said, enthusiastically. Rain chuckled and shook her head. As the rest of the group entered the central tent, Lina noticed that Cecil was chatting with Gourry, and Gourry was actually listening!

"_Weird! What could they be talking about that has Gourry's undivided attention?_" Lina wondered, as she got closer and listened to their conversation. 

"So you're a half elf? You sure don't look it! You look like a pure elf to me." Gourry said, as Cecil leaned on his sword.

"It's true, though I didn't know I was until a year ago. You see, my ears haven't always looked like this. They changed when we all came in contact with Oberon." Cecil said, as he watched Deedlit and Parn talk quietly between themselves. 

"I'd once heard that there was an elf in my family, but I don't think it was true." Gourry said, surprising Lina with his ability to remember that. 

"Deedlit had mentioned something about it looking like you had some elf blood in you, but it is probably so dilute that it doesn't really account for much." Cecil said.

"So I wouldn't be able to use elfin magic, then?" Gourry asked, sounding a little bit dismayed.

"Probably not. But why would you want to?" Cecil asked, noticing when a slight blush colored Gourry's cheeks for the briefest of moments. 

"Without the Hikari no Ken, I'm useless in a fight, especially when it comes to magic. I guess I wanted to see if I could learn some magic so I could help Lina." Gourry said, honestly. Lina's jaw fell to the ground, and she scrambled to put it back in place before Gourry would see that she'd been listening in. Gourry wanted to learn magic?! Cecil looked kindly at the dimwitted swordsman. 

"Well, since your heart is in the right place, I guess I can see if you can use the basic elfin tricks. When the rain stops, we'll see." Cecil said, understanding what Gourry wanted to do.

"Thanks Cecil." Gourry said, as Cecil walked off to find Leaf. Lina couldn't believe it; Gourry wanted to learn magic?! Elfin magic?! Lina immediately intercepted Cecil.

"You're going to teach him magic?! He can't even remember what happened a year ago, much less remember memorized spells!" Lina said, her voice an anxious whisper.

"If he has what it takes, then it will come naturally to him. Elfin magic is in the blood, not the brain. When I was small, I could summon up Sylph nymphs, and I didn't know a single incantation. Don't worry, even someone like Gourry can handle that kind of magic." Cecil reassured.

"But still! What if he uses that magic in the wrong places?" Lina asked. 

"By now he's learned where and when to use magic from experience, considering you are the most powerful sorceress to date since Karla, the Gray Witch and you use such powerful spells like the Dragon Slave." Cecil said, matter-of-factly. Lina couldn't argue with that. She knew that she had the most powerful spells at her command and that Gourry, from time to time, tried to dissuade her from using them. 

"I guess it will be all right, then. It's not like you're going to teach him how to use the Giga Slave or anything like that." Lina said, finally giving Cecil the okay.

"Besides, I don't know whether or not he has enough elf blood to use the magic. It all depends on what he can do tomorrow." Cecil said, comfortingly. Lina nodded, then looked away as Amelia and Zelgadis sat down and started eating their rations. Filia sighed as she watched all of the couples and friends eating and chatting comfortably with one another. She was lonely, despite being with so many friends. 

"Mind if I eat with you?" Sheen asked, startling Filia somewhat.

"No! I don't mind at all! Have a seat!" Filia said, as she offered the place in front of her to the elf.

"Thank you. You looked a little lonely sitting here apart from the others." Sheen said, gently. 

"I was." Filia agreed, as a worried look passed over her features.

"Don't worry, we'll rescue your friend. This may have delayed us a little while, but we're not going to give up. So you shouldn't give up either." Sheen said, reassuringly. 

"You're right, of course." Filia said, even though she didn't sound all that convinced.

"I just wonder what's going to be waiting for us when we get to Alacrast. I don't think any of us has ever been to the mainland. Yet I know that Sir Parn and Lady Lina are capable leaders. If anything, they will be able to keep the unruly ones in line." Sheen said, jokingly, as he pointed at Garrack to prove his point. Filia giggled, despite herself.

"Sir Cecil is a good leader as well, even though some people drive him crazy." Sheen said, as he watched Cecil polish his sword.

"Yeah, you should have seen him when Shiris was around." Parn said, as he and Deedlit joined them. 

"Shiris?" Filia asked.

"The Dragon Rider Queen. Cecil doesn't like her very much." Deedlit said, grinning when Cecil shot her a warning look. 

"How so?" Filia asked, interested now.

"Shiris used to drive Cecil absolutely crazy. She'd tease him about being hot-headed and easily fooled. He hated that." Parn said, chuckling when Cecil gave him a dirty look. 

"It sounds almost what Xellos used to do to me." Filia said, almost sounding wistful at that moment. 

"Filia, we'll get him back. The creature that took him is going to regret the day he even messed with him. We'll give him a lesson to never forget." Parn said, getting an enthusiastic 'Yeah!' from Amelia and a 'Let's get 'im!' from Lina. Filia smiled, this time wholeheartedly. 

"Thank you, minna." Filia said, for the first time in her journey feeling hope grow in her heart. Rain and Teim exchanged smiles, knowing that things were going to be all right.

Tern curled his lip in rage when he saw that the adventurers had survived the attack. He turned away from his crystal ball when the guards returned with Xellos between them. 

"My goodness, Xellos! You look terrible!" Tern sneered, sarcasm dripping in his voice. 

"No thanks………….to you………….." Xellos replied, grimacing when one of his arms was wrenched, forcing him to his knees. 

"Now, are you ready to tell me what I want to know?" Tern asked, leaning in close to Xellos' face, his rank breath making Xellos gag. 

"Go…………to…………hell…………" Xellos gasped, venomously. With a snarl, Tern slashed Xellos' left arm, enjoying the outcry of pain that came with it. 

"Take him back to his cell. I will question him later." Tern said, as the two guards bowed and left, dragging Xellos as they went. 

"I will get what I want. And soon all of the Mazoku will feel my wrath." Tern growled, his feral grin returning as he thought of the slaughter that was to come.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Lina awoke to find that she was alone in her tent. Normally, being alone would have been fine, but since she'd shared the tent with Gourry the previous night (not in that way, potential hentai readers!), she was a little bit concerned. As she went out of her tent and into the central tent, she found that the entrance was open and sunlight was coming through. 

"They're outside." Lina muttered, as she walked outside. Once she got to an open, grassy area, she spotted Gourry and Cecil, talking comfortably before they got started. Lina was about to call out to them when she saw them approach an ancient tree.

"_What are they doing?_" Lina wondered, as she tried to get closer without disturbing them. 

"The first thing I am going to do, Gourry, is see how strong your elf blood is. For that, you must see if you can attune yourself to what is around you. Like Shamanism, you must be able to feel what is around you, as well as see and hear. Unlike Shamanism, you must feel it come from the heart." Cecil explained, as simply as he could. Lina was shocked to see that Gourry had a slight look of understanding in his eyes. 

"Okay, what do I do?" Gourry asked, ready to begin. 

"Watch." Cecil said, as he held a hand out to the tree. Lina watched in wonder as tiny points of light started coming from the tree itself and circled around Cecil. Then it became clear what the lights were; they were fairies!

"Wow………………" Gourry murmured, as the tiny sprites danced around him and Cecil, then faded away. 

"Now you try. It's not very hard to do." Cecil said, as he moved aside and allowed Gourry to take his place in front of the tree. 

"_Now for the moment of truth._" Lina thought, as she watched tensely from her spot. For a few moments, nothing happened, then the points of light reappeared, this time around Gourry! Cecil shared Lina's look of shock; neither of them had been expecting this!

"He did it………………..he really did it!" Lina muttered, in disbelief, as she watched as the tiny fairies floated around Gourry, playing in his long golden hair and some even resting in his hands as he gazed at them. When the fairies had faded again, Gourry again faced Cecil.

"Do I have what it takes to help Lina?" Gourry asked. 

"Yes. You have what it takes." Cecil said, shaking off his stunned expression, then started teaching Gourry one of the stronger elfin tricks. Lina watched as Gourry's untapped potential was realized for the first time, almost sharing the wonder Gourry showed as he learned the tricks elves were known for, including the summoning of water, wind, and light spirits. 

"Amazing. I didn't know Gourry could do that." Zelgadis said, startling Lina somewhat. 

"Hey! 'Morning, Zel! Amelia!" Gourry greeted, taking his attention off of the water spirits for a few moments. 

"Gourry! Pay attention!" Cecil shouted, as the water spirits got out of control and splashed Zelgadis and Amelia. 

"Oops…………….Sorry!" Gourry said, as both Zelgadis and Amelia gave him some somewhat miffed looks.

"Gourry……………….." Lina said, before bursting into laughter, and before Zelgadis and Amelia both started chasing Gourry around, one with a fireball in hand, and the other screeching about Justice, while Cecil stood where he was, with a look of chagrin on his face. Meanwhile, the rest of the group had come out to see what all the ruckus was about and they all started laughing when they saw what was happening. 

"What do you know? Breakfast and a show!" Ashram muttered, sarcastically. 

"Looks almost like that time when Shiris chased Cecil around the camp for about an hour for freezing her spare clothing." Parn said, chuckling when Zelgadis finally threw the fireball and cursed when it missed its target. 

"I think this is funnier, though." Deedlit said, snickering when Cecil's ear twitched, signaling that he'd heard her say that. After that had died down, they all got to the business at hand; breakfast! Ashram, and the rest watched in amazement as Lina wolfed down enough food to feed an army. 

"I guess it takes that much food to keep up enough energy to fuel the Dragon Slave." Parn said, getting an agreement from Lina. 

"Well, Parn, I seem to remember you and Ghim putting that same amount of food away during our first adventures, remember?" Deedlit asked, getting an unreadable look from Parn and a snicker from Ashram for her remark. 

"Hey!" Ghim shouted, insulted. After breakfast was over, they all went about packing up their gear. 

"I wish we had replacements for those horses. A trek to Kanon on foot is rough." Spark said, as he shouldered one tent and watched as the entire tent complex was shrunk so half the group could carry it. 

"This tent really has come in handy. Be sure to remember that." Sheen said, as they started walking. 

"Don't worry, it's not like we'll forget something that's taken centuries to invent!" Rain replied, before she and Teim shouldered some of the tent burlap as well. The rest of the day was passed walking towards a destination that didn't seem to get any closer. Adding to the distance was the heat. By midmorning, the heat was almost unbearable, but they knew they had to keep going. Zelgadis panted as the heat bore down on him almost like a physical force. The air was thick and humid, quickly sapping the strength and sucking the moisture out of him. Before he knew it, his vision was blurring.

"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia yelped, as the shaman sank to one knee. As though brought back to reality by her voice, Zelgadis shook his head to clear it and stood up. 

"Are you all right, Zel? You look sorta tired." Lina said, noticing how pale Zelgadis looked. 

"I……….I'm all right………….." Zelgadis managed to say, his voice rasping a little, since his throat was so dry. 

"You don't sound all right. Do you want to stop for a while?" Parn asked, concerned for the quiet shaman. 

"No. We should continue." Zelgadis said, as he forced himself to take a few steps forward to show that he was all right. 

"Zelgadis-san………….." Amelia said, worriedly. 

"I'm all right. Don't worry about me." Zelgadis murmured, so only Amelia could hear him. Reluctantly, Amelia nodded, but insisted on helping him walk, nonetheless. By the time afternoon was well advanced, Zelgadis was showing more signs that he wasn't well. Gourry and Spark had taken up shouldering Zelgadis' weight, while Amelia looked worriedly at the ailing shaman. 

"Ashram! I've found some shade! Let's stop here for a little while!" Pirotess said, as she motioned to a rocky outcrop that had a few shallow caves nestled in it. After unfurling a bedroll, Amelia helped Gourry and Spark lay Zelgadis down on it. Then Amelia went to get Neese. 

"Poor Zel……………he's obviously not used to this kind of heat." Lina murmured, as she watched Amelia lead Neese back to Zelgadis.

"It looks to me like he's got heat exhaustion. He needs fluids, in order to get hydrated again." Neese said, as she placed a damp rag on his forehead, in an effort to bring his fever down. Filia watched what was going on in dismay; with every step they took, some new calamity befell them!

"_I must go alone! It might be the only chance I will have at rescuing Xellos!_" Filia thought.

"Well, how long will it take for Zel to recover?" Lina asked, as she and Gourry stood and watched the sun go down. 

"Neese said it might take him several days to recover." Gourry said, solemnly. 

"At this rate, we might not reach Xellos in time." Lina said, as she allowed Gourry to put an arm around her shoulders and hold her close. 

The boy looked up when he sensed someone coming. With movements quicker than lightning, he dashed for his hiding place and waited. He winced when he heard the sound of a body hit the ground. After he was sure that the guards had gone, the boy came out and looked around. 

"Xellos?" the boy asked, careful to keep his voice down. It took a moment for Xellos to reply.

"Shiroi………………." Xellos whispered, painfully. In a heartbeat, the boy was at his side. 

"Xellos! These wounds………!" Shiroi yelped, as he tore some material off of his tunic and tied it around Xellos' bleeding arm. 

"I'm afraid I have angered Mr. Demon Dragon again……………" Xellos said, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Keep going like this and there won't be enough of you left to rescue, if help is coming!" Shiroi said, as Xellos' face contorted into a grimace and he coughed up blood. 

"If help is coming……………….but I don't think it is…………" Xellos gasped, feeling despair settle in him for the first time. 

"Don't say that! If you give up now, then your survival will mean nothing!" Shiroi admonished. 

"How could you say that? You don't have any more chance of getting out of here alive than I do. How could you still have so much hope?" Xellos asked, skeptical about the prospect of being rescued. 

"I have found out something. I was able to sneak up to the main throne room when Tern was distracted. I got a good look at his crystal ball and I saw a group of about twenty, all heading this way. They know where the trouble is, and they are coming to take care of it. Your dragon lady was among them." Shiroi said, confidently. Xellos was silent, for a few moments, then looked at Shiroi with something akin to hope in his eyes. 

"Well, what have I got to lose in believing what you say?" Xellos said, sounding noncommittal, but hiding his hope behind his words. Shiroi grinned, then went back to bandaging the Mazoku's new wound. 

"Shiroi?" Xellos asked, after a few moments.

"Yes?" Shiroi replied, as he checked Xellos' other wounds.

"Don't you think the demon dragon will get suspicious when he sees these?" Xellos asked, when he pointed at the bandages. 

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. By the way, shouldn't your people be looking for you by now?" Shiroi asked.

"My people? You mean the Mazoku?" Xellos asked. Shiroi nodded.

"Aren't they in the least bit worried?" Shiroi asked.

"Hmph. Most of them could care less if I went missing or died. Yet, I will never give that demon dragon the secrets of entering the Mazoku realm. I can't betray my own kind." Xellos said, surprising himself with the determination in his voice. 

"You don't want your people to suffer the same fate as the three dragon races. I guess even a Mazoku could show some endearing qualities." Shiroi said, getting a surprised look from Xellos.

"What do you mean?" Xellos asked, quickly regaining his composure. 

"Please, don't take what I have said offensively. But even you can say that you have something the other Mazoku don't." Shiroi said, wisely. 

"What does that mean?" Xellos asked, now clearly confused. 

"I am not your heart, Xellos. You really need to ask yourself that." Shiroi said, with a mysterious smile.

"But Mazoku don't have hearts!" Xellos shouted, somewhat agitated, but regretting raising his voice when pain again throbbed through his body. 

"Could have fooled me." Shiroi said, coolly.

"Just who are you really? You know too much to be a simple child!" Xellos said, as he took a good hard look at the 'youth' before him. Shiroi merely smiled again.

"I am not what I seem. As to who I am, sore wa himitsu desu!" Shiroi said, chuckling when he Xellos gave him an unreadable look. 

"Now I know why Filia-chan and the others were always so miffed with me! You're using my own favorite phrase against me!" Xellos muttered, as his elfin companion chuckled again, enjoying the light moment, even though he knew it was going to be short-lived. 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Filia looked back, hesitating. She wasn't certain whether she wanted to carry through with her plan or not. All of her friends were still in camp, asleep, and didn't know that she was going on without them. But then thoughts of Xellos overruled all of her doubts. She absolutely had to rescue him, before it was too late. Yet she still didn't know why she thought so fondly of the annoying Mazoku; they were mortal enemies, weren't they? 

"_Why can't I understand my own heart? What is it about him that has me willing to leave all behind and rush hell for leather into danger? What is so special about that obnoxious Mazoku, anyway?_" Filia wondered, as she took one last look at the sleeping group, then transformed into her dragon form, confident that she could travel unnoticed in the moonless night. With a silent leap into the air, Filia took off, leaving not a trace of herself behind. 

"_Hang on, I'm coming._" Filia thought, as she flew into the pitch-black night. 

"Oh shit! I knew this would happen!" Lina screeched, when morning had come. 

"What's wrong Lina-san?!" Amelia asked, as the entire group came to investigate what the yelling was about. 

"Filia's gone off on her own! She's going to try and rescue Xellos by herself!" Lina shouted.

"Damn…………" Ashram growled, now understanding what was going on. 

"What can we do? We can't possibly catch up with her now! She must be halfway to Alacrast by now!" Deedlit said, hopelessly.

"We Raywing the rest of the way to Kanon." Zelgadis said, calmly. 

"But Zelgadis-san, you haven't recovered from heat exhaustion yet! You can't possibly be thinking to Raywing all the way there!" Amelia said, worriedly. Zelgadis said nothing, but instead turned and looked at Cecil and Aldonova. 

"You two know that spell, don't you?" Zelgadis asked. 

"Yes. But what are you thinking of doing?" Cecil asked, curiously.

"Split the group into smaller groups and allow each leader to Raywing their people. As I am now, I don't have the energy to transport a group." Zelgadis said, quietly. 

"But you're suggesting that those of us who know how to Raywing to move others?" Rain asked. Zelgadis nodded.

"This way, it will be easier to cover the distance between us and Kanon." Zelgadis said, before Lina gave him a very hard pat on the back.

"Way to go, Zel! You're smarter than you look!" Lina said, cheerfully. Zelgadis winced and gave Lina a dirty look. 

"Lina, I think you hit him too hard." Gourry said, when he'd noticed Zelgadis' pained expression.

"Oops……………..Sorry Zel." Lina said, sounding a little apologetic.

"What are we waiting for? Let's do this." Ashram said, getting straight to the business at hand. All of the sorcerers (and sorceresses) nodded, and started gathering their groups. Soon they were on their way, with Rain and Teim carrying the majority of the group, since their powers were stronger. Amelia blushed as Zelgadis hung on to her waist. She could tell that he was blushing too, since he would occasionally look up at her. But his weakness worried her; she wasn't used to having Zelgadis depend on her like this. 

"I'm not going to die, Amelia." Zelgadis said, startling Amelia from her thoughts, causing her to blush even deeper. 

"Hang in there, Gourry!" Parn shouted, laughing as Gourry clung tightly to Lina's waist.

"Why don't you hang in there, Parn?" Deedlit asked, as she threatened to drop him (she was also using the Raywing, so she could take the pressure off of Cecil and Aldonova).

"Whoa! Deed!!" Parn yelped, not liking the idea of being so high up and having Deedlit angry with him. Deedlit smirked and allowed him to tighten his grip; she'd won that argument. Ashram remained silent, knowing that he was better off keeping his mouth shut; but he couldn't resist a slight snicker at Parn's expense.

Xellos shivered. Of all the times he'd wondered what it would be like to feel human, this was the worst time to find out! Shiroi was doing his best to keep him warm, but, without all of his power, he couldn't even cast a simple fire spell. 

"I'm sorry, Xellos. I can't even cast the simplest spell in here." Shiroi said, with some disgust in his voice.

"Don't worry about it." Xellos said, his voice soft and weak. 

"I wish there was something I could do. You're ill, and there's nothing I can do about it." Shiroi said, guiltily. Then, suddenly, there was a flurry of action as the cell door was thrown open and guards entered, grabbing both Xellos and Shiroi.

"Shiroi!" Xellos shouted, as the elfin youth struggled to free himself from the iron grips of the guards. 

"Well, well! So it looks as though Xellos wasn't as alone in here as I'd thought! Truth to tell, I had forgotten that you were in here, brat!" Tern snarled, as he turned his raging red gaze to the elf. 

"I'm surprised as well, Tern. Who would have thought that you would forget that I have been in here for almost three years?" Shiroi snapped, defiantly. Tern glowered at the elf, seething at the insolent youth.

"You'll pay for helping Xellos. Watch as I wrench from him the information I need!" Tern growled, as he focused his gaze onto Xellos. Xellos gasped, as the demon dragon's eyes burned into his own, going past them and into his brain. Shiroi shuddered as Xellos let out a scream of agony as the demon dragon took what he wanted then signaled for his guards to drop Xellos and follow him out of the cell. At the same time, they released Shiroi as well, who rushed to Xellos' side.

"Xellos!" Shiroi yelped, as he shook Xellos by the shoulders. Xellos moaned and opened his eyes, but didn't say anything. 

"_He's in shock. I hope his mind wasn't damaged._" Shiroi thought, as Xellos shuddered and closed his eyes again, unwittingly showing his vulnerability to the elf boy when he wrapped his arms around himself. 

"Just rest. We'll try to figure out a way to escape later." Shiroi murmured, as he also let a thought that said the same thing flow from him to Xellos, hoping to calm him that way. Xellos nodded, and, after a while, his shuddering breaths lengthened into those of a sleeper. 

"_I hope help arrives soon. I don't think he can take much more. First physical abuse, then mental. I don't want to stick around for the last kind of abuse._" Shiroi thought, as he eyed the door of the cell, knowing that the demon dragon could return at any time. 

"Kanon! At long last! It took us long enough to get here!" Deedlit said, getting a unanimous agreement from her compatriots. 

"Let's get to King Fiona and tell him that we have arrived." Parn suggested, as he started leading the way to the castle. 

"Whoa! Wait a minute! You didn't say anything about us meeting a king!" Lina said, blocking Parn's path.

"Lina, Parn and Deedlit know King Fiona and are on good terms with him. The last time I was here, I was trying to hijack Fiona's people, so I am not exactly on Fiona's favorite people list." Ashram said, coolly.

"But didn't you say that he'd requested help from Marmo? He has to trust you at least a little bit to ask that of you!" Lina shouted, getting some looks from the locals as they passed by. 

"I think he always counted on my staying at Marmo while the ships were being sent." Ashram said, with a sigh. 

"So he still hates ya, huh?" Lina asked.

"Hai." Ashram said, with a deadpan expression on his face. Lina face-faulted.

"It seems that grudges are held a long time here." Amelia commented.

"Seems that way." Zelgadis agreed, as they started walking again. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

By late afternoon, the now twenty adventurers were well on their way to Alacrast. The going was slow, considering the ship they were traveling in was a war ship. 

"I hope we find out what is going on soon." Spark murmured, as he gazed out at the water. 

"I hope so too. And I also hope Filia-san is all right." Amelia said, as she and Zelgadis stood beside Spark. 

"But why did she up and leave like that? Didn't your friend Lina say that Filia hated the kidnapped man?" Spark asked.

"We always thought she did, but I think now Filia-san has taken a liking to him." Amelia said, as Pirotess joined them at the rail. 

"Dinner is almost finished cooking. Best get down there before Lina eats it all." Pirotess said, gently. 

"Be right there." Spark said, after Garrack and Raina both barged past them, heading for the galley. After Amelia and Spark had left, Zelgadis continued staring into the calm salt water.

"You seem a little depressed, Zelgadis. What seems to be the matter?" Teim asked, startling Zelgadis by his sudden appearance.

"I'm beginning to wonder whether my cure was a mistake or not." Zelgadis said, quietly.

"What do you mean?" Teim asked, curiously.

"When I was a chimera, I was better able to take care of myself and protect Amelia. Now that I am human again, I am beginning to think that becoming human again was nothing more than folly." Zelgadis said, scornfully. 

"Do you want to be a chimera again?" Teim asked.

"No! Of course not! I never want to go through any more years like that!" Zelgadis shouted, horrified by even the suggestion of becoming a 'freak' again. 

"Then why are you doubting your decision?" Teim asked. Zelgadis was stuck for an answer.

"Zelgadis, you don't need superhuman strength to protect Amelia." Teim said, calmly.

"What do you mean?" Zelgadis asked, confused.

"Despite her appearance, Amelia is a very strong young woman. Her feelings for you are what makes her even stronger. And, just as you strengthen her, she strengthens you. She gives you the incentive to keep trying, even when things look hopeless." Teim said, chuckling when he heard Lina start shouting at Gourry below decks.

"You sound so certain about that." Zelgadis said, still looking a little depressed.

"It is because I am. You'd better go and get some dinner, otherwise, you'll go hungry tonight." Teim said.

"Okay. Thank you, Teim." Zelgadis said, as he started to go below.

"No problem." Teim replied, as he watched the sun set, leaving the sky a fiery blood red.

"Rezo, I wish you could have been with us to solve this problem. I have the feeling that this battle can't be won with just myself and Rain." Teim murmured, as cool evening breezes ruffled his sapphire blue robes. 

Filia panted as she landed and resumed human form. She'd never flown so far before! But she was finally in Alacrast; now her search really began. 

"_Where do I start looking?_" Filia wondered, as she glanced around. All the land around her looked the same; barren and dry. 

"What could have happened here to have made the land so desolate?" Filia murmured, as she looked around at the wasteland. From what she could tell, the land looked almost burnt, it was so dry. The smell of smoke still clung to the air and soot shifted at the slightest movement. 

"Dreadful, isn't it?" a soft, feminine voice asked. Filia whirled around, startled to have been sneaked up upon from behind. She was surprised to see a young elf woman standing there.

"It is. Where did you come from? I didn't see you when I landed." Filia said, as the elf scanned the open ground warily with her sea green eyes. 

"That dragon was you?" the elf asked, nervously. Filia nodded. 

"But who are you and where did you come from?" Filia asked.

"I came from the forest that used to stand here. My name is Callisto." The elf said, almost seeming to be afraid of Filia. 

"Don't be afraid. I will not harm you. I am Filia, a friend. Who burned down the forest? Do you know?" Filia asked, shocked when she saw tears brimming in Callisto's eyes. 

"Father had said………………that a demon dragon was still alive……………but the rest of my people didn't believe him…………….then the dragon came and burned the forest…………and…………..and he…………….." Callisto sobbed, before Filia gently hugged her, allowing her to cry into her robes. Filia knew what had happened, and shuddered at the thought. But the words 'demon dragon' hung in her mind. Was there another race of dragon she didn't know about?

"You poor thing. You're the only one left, aren't you?" Filia asked. Callisto nodded, sniffling as she tried to regain her composure.

"Would you mind telling me what the demon dragon's name is? And where he is hiding?" Filia asked. Callisto nodded.

"He calls himself Tern. He is the last of the Demon Dragons. He has an inland fortress where he watches and waits for the right moment to seize his revenge. A few weeks ago, his Orcs took a man there. He looked to be in terrible pain, and there was fresh blood on his tunic. I don't know what Tern would have done to a human, though. His dealings are normally with the mystical, like elves and dwarves." Callisto said, immediately catching Filia's attention. 

"This human…………..what was he wearing? Can you tell me?" Filia asked.

"From what I could tell, he was wearing some sort of priestly attire. It didn't look Lodossian, Marmoan or Alacrastian. They were of completely foreign make." Callisto said, elaborating on what the man had been wearing.

"Uhuh…….I see. Could you also see what color his hair was?" Filia asked, anxiously.

"A dark shade of purple, almost the shade of purple one would see in the finest velvet." Callisto said, noticing when Filia's expression changed from excitement, to horror, then apprehension. 

"Xellos………………..that demon dragon has Xellos…………….." Filia muttered, then returned her attention to Callisto.

"Is Xellos the name of the man you love?" Callisto asked, innocently. Filia froze.

"Erm……………..uh………….I don't know! He's just an annoying Namagomi!" Filia said, as Callisto gave her a knowing smile.

"But you can't deny that there is something you feel for him." Callisto said, then her eyes saddened.

"What?" Filia asked, when she'd noticed the mournful look.

"The man that I'd loved was in the village the day Tern destroyed it. He died in the fire while trying to evacuate the women and children. I never even got to tell him how I felt about him. Filia, don't wait until it is too late to let your loved one know about your feelings. If he dies, and you haven't told him, you will always be burdened with regret." Callisto warned. Filia was stunned by this, but nodded. 

"I still have to rescue him. He's in that fortress and I need to get him out. Maybe when I see him again, I can tell him." Filia said, as she stood to go.

"Wait!" Callisto said, abruptly. Filia stopped and looked down.

"What?" Filia asked.

"Take me with you. I know the way to the lower levels of the fortress." Callisto said, bravely.

"Aren't you afraid of what that dragon can do to you?" Filia asked.

"Yes. In fact, I'm terrified, but I know that you can't go through this alone." Callisto said, as she summoned up all her courage and stood with Filia.

"Thank you, Callisto." Filia said, honestly. Callisto smiled again.

"C'mon, the fortress is this way." Callisto said, as she started leading Filia down the path that led to their destiny. 

Xellos groaned as he started to come around. Every time he took a breath, his head pounded. He felt sick; not at all like his usual annoying self. Upon chancing a look around, he could see that Shiroi had not left his side for one moment since the attack on his mind. He closed his eyes again when pain and nausea forced him to do so. 

"Xellos?" Shiroi asked, when he'd noticed that Xellos' eyes had opened for a moment.

"It hurts…………….." Xellos whispered, as he wrapped his arms around his midsection and grimaced.

"I know. Just try to keep whatever it is in your stomach down. Since you've been given so little time to heal from your first injuries, I'd wager that if you got sick, those stitches will come loose." Shiroi said, as he touched Xellos' forehead, and sighed when he found a burning fever.

"Can't help it…………………it's like my whole body's on fire…………." Xellos said, gasping when even the slightest movement caused lancing pain to shoot through him. Shiroi was about to say something more, when something crossed his mind; a faint, yet familiar presence.

"_I know that aura! They've come! They've noticed that I was missing and have come!_" Shiroi thought, as joy suddenly entered him.

"What's going on? Why do you suddenly look so happy?" Xellos asked.

"Xellos, I do believe that the rescue party has just arrived on Alacrast!" Shiroi replied, his ears almost standing on end as he told the ailing Mazoku the news. 

"But will they get here in time to prevent Tern from destroying the Mazoku?" Xellos asked, his eyes bright with fever and something akin to hope. 

"I sincerely hope so." Shiroi said, as he watched the last of the sunlight fade from between the small bars on a grate. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Almost as soon as they had made landfall, the twenty adventurers were beset by problems. First of all, the hostile people who lived along the coast attacked them and desolation they saw was disheartening. 

"Yep, certainly looks like something has been through here, other than bandits, of course." Lina remarked, as she looked at the charred landscape.

"But what could have done this?" Gourry asked, as he also looked around. 

"By the looks of things, a dragon the size of Shooting Star that has the power of Shabranigdo." Ashram said, grimly, with a distant look in his dark eyes.

"Not a good combination." Parn murmured, as he got an agreement from those who had been at both battles (in their respective groups, of course).

"But where would something like that hide?" Amelia asked, worriedly.

"Usually in a subterranean cave or a fortress built from solid stone. All four of the demon dragons that we had knowledge of were hidden in caves. This included Shooting Star and Brand. But this dragon is something of a mystery." Cecil said, as a chill breeze blew past him, stirring some of the ashes around into small clouds. 

"How do you know so much about this dragon, Cecil? Have you heard anything in particular about it?" Deedlit asked, tensely.

"I've only heard rumors. But they were very detailed rumors. I've heard that there is a demon dragon in this area that lives in an old fortress not too far away from here. I'd also heard that an entire village of elves was annihilated by that selfsame dragon." Cecil said, as the elves that had come with them gasped in horror. While listening to this, Rain blanched; the White Priest had been an elf! What if what had happened to the elf village had also happened to the White Priest?

"Rain? What's the matter?" Sheen asked, when he'd noticed the look of shock on Rain's face.

"N-nothing! Do you know exactly where this village was, Cecil?" Rain asked, shakily. 

"I'm not exactly certain, but I think it was this way." Cecil replied, as he led the way over to the charred remains of a forest. It was almost dusk when they reached the center of what was once a lush forest. To her horror, Rain saw something she was hoping she wouldn't see; the unscathed staff of the White Priest!

"No……………." Rain whispered, as she walked forward and reverently pulled the staff out of the ashes and dusted the ash off of it's silver length, listening to the soft clinking of the rings on the top. 

"The White Priest's……………………oh gods……………not here…………don't tell me he died here……………." Teim said, with grief emerging in his voice. 

"So there is another reason for us to be here." Zelgadis murmured, as tears started flowing down Rain's cheeks.

"What might that be, Zel?" Lina asked, as she, Amelia and the other females in the group tried to console the grieving Green Priestess.

"Revenge." Zelgadis replied, with a hard edge in his voice. 

Filia and Callisto ducked when they saw a shadow pass over them, but were relieved when they saw that it was only a small common dragon. 

"Whew! I thought that was the demon!" Callisto said, exhaling a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding, and as Filia did the same. 

"Same here! I'm beginning to think I should have waited for Lina and the rest after all." Filia said, as she and Callisto started walking again.

"Lina? Who is Lina?" Callisto asked, curiously.

"A close friend and the most powerful sorceress to date. I think even the Grey Witch would think twice to cross her." Filia said, with a slight smile.

"Oh………..you mean the great Lina Inverse?" Callisto asked.

"That's the one." Filia said, sighing when she finally sighted the fortress. 

"Wow………….I didn't know you knew her! Her fame has even spread as far as Alacrast!" Callisto said, before turning her attention to the dark stone structure ahead of them.

"Well? What now?" Filia asked, as ominous foreboding came into her mind. 

"How about waiting?" a voice said, irritably, from above them.

"Huh?" Filia and Callisto asked, at the same time, as they looked up at the owner of the voice. It was none other than a very peeved Lina Inverse!

"Lina!" Filia shouted, relieved.

"Damn straight!" Lina retorted, then turned and called down to somebody below her, "Hey guys! I found her!" Within moments, the rest of the group was around Filia and Callisto, all of them asking questions, at least until Parn spoke up.

"Listen! With that fortress in sight, it is very probable that the dragon knows we're here. I would like to suggest a quick attack. Hit him hard and fast, so he won't know where to strike us." Parn said, as soon as the group had quieted down.

"Hey, we could provide a diversion, Sir Parn." Cecil suggested, as he and Aldonova stepped forward. 

"What about us?" Lina asked, leaning toward Cecil, hoping she could intimidate him like she always did Gourry. Cecil didn't take the bait. 

"You'll be going inside with the rest of the fighters. They'll need your explosive skills to take out the fortress from within. Is that all right with you?" Cecil asked, with raised eyebrows. 

"I hate you." Lina muttered, when she saw that Cecil had beaten her in the battle of wills. 

"I'm going with her." Gourry said, refusing to be a part of the diversion that consisted mainly of the elves in the group. Cecil nodded.

"I know. You're going along with the fighters. Even though your elfin magic would be of great help out here, I can't force you to help us. You follow your path, we'll follow ours." Cecil said, as he got his group together, which consisted of Pirotess, Deedlit, Leaf, Sheen, Neese and Raina. As the fighters gathered together, Callisto called their attention to her.

"Minna, I know of a way in, but we are going to have to move quickly. The demon dragon may already know that we are here." Callisto said, getting an affirmative nod from the group. 

"Then let's get in there and show that demon dragon who not to mess with!" Lina said, cracking her knuckles as she said that. 

"Yes. Lead the way." Parn said, as he unsheathed the Holy Sword and held it ready before him.

Xellos grimaced as the guards dragged him and Shiroi along, heading for the throne room. Once there, they were deposited at the feet of the demon dragon. 

"Well, well! So glad you could make it, Xellos! I didn't want you to miss the main event!" Tern sneered, as a low growl emanated from Xellos' throat. With a wave of his clawed hand, Tern willed an illusion screen into existence before both of his prisoners. The place it was showing was one Xellos knew and instinctively gasped in shock; Wolfpack Island! 

"What the hell?!" Xellos asked, as Tern laughed at his expression. 

"That is where I am going to start my assault on your kind, Xellos. I will start at the heart and work my way out." Tern said, as horror replaced the outrage Xellos had initially had on his face. 

"How do you intend to do that, Tern? Not even the strongest Golden Dragon or Ancient Dragon Warrior could hope to defeat even one legion of Mazoku!" Shiroi said, boldly. 

"I have the means to do just that, and more." Tern snarled, as he produced a vial of thick yellow liquid.

"What is that?!" Shiroi asked, sickened by the sight.

"The Plague……………………" Xellos whispered, with real fear in his voice. Tern cackled.

"Not just the Plague, Xellos, but also a spell to prevent you from ever going back to the Mazoku lands and to prevent any inside the lands from escaping." Tern said, with evil glee.

"But if you release that disease inside that realm, thousands of Mazoku will perish! It will be genocide, Tern!" Shiroi shouted, desperately. Xellos was puzzled by Shiroi's concern.

"Why are you so worried? It's not like your kind is in peril." Xellos murmured, so Tern could not hear. 

"That may be so, but, no creature, no matter how good or how evil, deserves to be destroyed in such manner! This isn't honorable flesh to flesh combat, this is biological warfare, such that even the Ancients would tremble at the thought." Shiroi said, as Tern smiled ferally down at both of them.

"I'm taking my leave now. Have fun watching the destruction, you two!" Tern sneered, before disappearing without a trace. 

"No! Tern! Don't you dare! TERN!!!" Xellos screamed, furiously, as he struggled at the invisible chains that bound him to the earth realm, preventing him from going and helping his kin. As they watched, they could see Tern approaching Wolfpack Island and watched helplessly as he dropped the vial onto the unsuspecting Mazoku. Xellos uttered a wordless cry as he watched the first few start succumbing to the now airborne disease. Seconds later, Tern had returned, but only long enough to grab his sword and leave, taking his Orcs with him. Almost immediately, Shiroi felt the spell loosen from around him and took that chance to get free. 

"Xellos, let's go! We're free! Xellos…………?" Shiroi asked, then noticed that Xellos was sitting motionless on the floor, watching silently as his kind started dying off by tens and twenties. 

"Xellos…………" Shiroi murmured, as he watched Xellos continue to watch the carnage in shock.

"_Whether I want to or not, I must leave him for the time being. I must see if I can find the invasion force before Tern does and warn them of what kind of power he has._" Shiroi said, as he made the difficult decision to leave Xellos behind and followed the enemy out.

Ashram swore in all the languages he knew as he cut a swath through hundreds of Orcs. Beside him, Parn, Zelgadis and Spark struggled as well. 

"Now, now, King Ashram! You don't want to teach these Orcs such foul language!" Lina teased, as she easily blew away about thirty with a well-placed fireball. 

"I'll give them the true meaning of Justice!" Amelia shouted, as she let about ten Orcs have it. 

"Flare Arrow!" Zelgadis shouted, letting loose his own magical attacks on the dark creatures. There was a sudden flood of water as Gourry unleashed the water spirits onto a swarming mass of Orcs. 

"Now that was well planned, Gourry!" Rain commended, as she let loose her own magic upon the Orcs. Then, suddenly, Rain felt the familiar weight of the White Priest's staff leave her back (where she had strapped it) and watched as it disappeared without a trace. 

"_What the_……………………_?!_" Rain wondered, but quickly went back to business. As valiantly as he could, Teim held off around a hundred Orcs, but found that he was weakening. 

"Teim! Hold on!" Rain shouted, as she rushed over to aid him. Abruptly the ground fell right out from under the Orcs that were attacking Teim, then resealed just as quickly. 

"What was that all about?!" Teim asked, before a slight chuckle got their attention. They turned and saw Callisto standing there, smiling.

"I can do something too, you know. I didn't lead you in here expecting to be protected the whole way." Callisto said, confidently. Rain stared at her in amazement, while Teim merely smiled.

"Let's get back to the battle, shall we?" Teim asked. 

"Hai!" Rain and Callisto said, in unison. 

Meanwhile, Shiroi is rushing through the halls, trying to pinpoint the source of the fighting. He could hear the sounds of steel against steel, but he didn't know which way it was coming from, since the stone halls were notorious for augmenting sound. Suddenly, Shiroi was gripped by the feeling of power flowing through his veins. 

"My powers……………they are returning!" Shiroi murmured, as a white glow surrounded him and a silver staff appeared in front of him. The moment he touched the staff, changes started taking place. First, his body grew from that of a boy, into that of a man, and his short, tousled white hair grew until it was about ankle length and tied back with a piece of ornately engraved silver. Then his tattered, dingy clothes were replaced with the sparkling white robes of a priest. 

"Finally…………..I am free………….the White Priest has returned." A now adult Shiroi murmured, as he opened his eyes to reveal his cool gray gaze. 

"_And now the final battle will begin._" Shiroi thought, as he pinpointed the sounds, raised his staff, and teleported, inevitably heading for the battle. 


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Filia panted as she ran towards the place where she knew Xellos to be. She had gone and teleported ahead of Lina and the rest so she could see if she could find the Mazoku. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard something in what she assumed was the throne room. 

"_What is that? It almost sounds like someone is crying!_" Filia thought, as she pushed the heavy doors open and looked inside. At first, she didn't see anything, but then, she saw the very person she had come to save, sitting in the middle of the filthy room, staring blankly at a projection on the wall, as tears flowed unchecked down his face. 

"Xellos?" Filia asked. Her heart broke when she saw him cringe, and it ached even more so when she saw the look in his eyes. 

"Filia-chan…………………." Xellos trailed off, as he started to collapse. Filia was at his side in a heartbeat. 

"Xellos? What happened? What did that demon dragon do to you?" Filia asked, surprising herself with her concern.

"Not to me, Filia-chan……………..but to the Mazoku…………." Xellos replied, with a violent shudder.

"The Mazoku? What happened? Tell me!" Filia demanded, startled when she saw the look of pain in Xellos' lavender gaze.

"They're all gone…………….and I am the last." Xellos said, softly. It was then that the situation struck home in Filia. The Mazoku race had just been wiped out, leaving only one survivor. How ironic it was that the survivor was the one that had wiped out her own race! Part of her wanted to laugh at Xellos' misfortune; the other, wanted to cry with him. 

"How did it happen?" Filia asked, as she tried to console the grieving Mazoku.

"A plague……………..the demon dragon released a plague into the Mazoku realm. He also cast a sealing spell so that I could not go back to that realm and join Zelas-sama and the others. They all died within moments of the plague becoming airborne. All we could do was watch……………….." Xellos said, his voice so soft that Filia had to strain her ears in order to hear him.

"We? Who's 'we'?" Filia asked.

"Shiroi was the other one that had to watch the…………the 'genocide' as he'd called it. Even though he's an elf, he tried to argue for the lives of the Mazoku, despite the fact that he was as powerless as I to stop it." Xellos said, as his shuddering finally ceased and he relaxed into Filia's arms. Filia remained silent, knowing that Xellos needed the peace in order to gather his thoughts again. 

"Filia-chan?" Xellos asked, after a few moments.

"Hmm?" Filia replied.

"Why did you come alone to save me? I thought you hated me." Xellos said, almost repeating word for word what he'd said when Filia had first found him wounded.

"I came because I wanted to. For some reason, my heart yearned for you. I can't explain it." Filia said, quietly.

"It's strange………….even though I don't have a heart………..I felt the same way." Xellos murmured, as he allowed himself to drift into slumber.

"Elmekia Lance!" Lina shouted, as she blew some more Orcs away. 

"Nice shot, Lina!" Ashram shouted, as he went into the melee the lance had caused and took out some more dark creatures. 

"Oh yeah!" Lina said, nonchalantly, then went back to the business at hand. They had almost reached the inner sanctum of the fortress; a huge, stone theater that could have seated well over a thousand. 

"Welcome to my humble abode, Heroes, though I wasn't expecting you." A sinister voice sneered, from all around them. 

"Who are you? Are you the demon dragon?" Lina asked, as a male figure appeared in front of the group. Evil laughter answered them, as reddish light illumined the scene.

"Oh hell…………." Ashram muttered, as he and others who had lived in or near Lodoss and Marmo backed up a step at the sight if the demon dragon.

"He almost looks exactly like……………….." Spark muttered, as he held his sword before him.

"Like who?! Who does this guy remind you of that's making you guys all afraid?!" Lina asked, as she glared at the demonic being.

"He resembles the darkest wizard to have ever cast his shadow on Marmo or Lodoss…………………Wagnard………….." Aldonova murmured.

"Wagnard………..?" Lina repeated, as the others readied themselves for a fight. 

"So, I see that my appearance has some effect on you, brave Heroes of Lodoss! You were fools to think you could ever stand against me!" the demon dragon snarled, as he hurled a powerful spell at the Heroes. With yells, they all leaped to avoid the spell. Lina yelped when her foot found a loose stone and stumbled before she could get very far. 

"So you are the greatest sorceress in the world, eh? Clumsy, flat-chested little wench!" the dragon roared, as he spit flames at Lina. Before Lina could even cry out or fire a spell in response to his 'flat-chested' remark, she found herself surrounded by water.

"What the…………?!" Lina yelped, as she turned her gaze to Gourry. Gourry stood off to one side, his eyes closed in concentration as he called upon the water spirits to protect Lina.

"Gourry!" Lina cried, stunned that the swordsman had saved her with his magic. 

"Stay out of this, elf!" the dragon snarled, before spitting some more fire, but this time in Gourry's direction. Lina gasped as a black blur leaped in front of Gourry and shielded him.

"King Ashram!" Gourry and Lina cried, in surprise.

"Hurry and get out of the way………….I don't know how long the SoulCrusher can hold these flames off!" Ashram said, from between gritted teeth. With a numb nod, Gourry moved quickly out of the way, while Ashram did his best to cover for him. 

"Hang on, Ashram!" Parn shouted, as he went to the aid of the dark knight. Unsheathing the Holy Sword as he ran, Parn placed himself alongside the rapidly weakening Ashram. 

"Thank you, Parn. But how are we going to kill that dragon with both magical blades being held up here?" Ashram asked, trying to hide how tired he was becoming.

"I'm sure Lina and the rest can think of something." Parn said, already beginning to feel the strain of holding up the invisible barrier. 

"Fireball!" Lina shouted, hurling her magic at the dragon and hitting him square in the face. With a roar, the dragon leaped back, clawing at his face. At the same time, the flames ceased, allowing Parn and Ashram to lower their defenses for a moment. 

"Ra-Tilt!" Zelgadis and Amelia shouted, sending the powerful astral attack at the dragon. 

"I summon the spirit of the earth, mighty beast of the ground below, I beg of you, bring our enemy out of hiding so we can fight him!" Callisto whispered, bravely. There was the sound of rock shattering, then the sound of the dragon being brought down to their level. 

"Good thinking, Callisto-san!" Amelia encouraged, before a blast of energy burst from the rubble covering the dragon. 

"Foolish elf!" the dragon snarled, before getting a fiery attack from Rain and Teim.

"Don't forget about us, dragon." Teim said, in a low, deadly voice.

"That's right. You killed the White Priest, and now you must die." Rain said, with ice in her voice. 

"Foolish woman. You cannot hope to defeat me." the dragon growled, his eyes glowing with hellish ire. 

"No, but we have hope, right minna?" Lina asked, as she and others surrounded the evil beast. The dragon looked around, suddenly realizing that he was surrounded. Then an evil smile replaced his momentary look of shock. 

"Fools. Even with the two magical blades of Marmo and Lodoss, you cannot possibly defeat me." the dragon snarled, amused with the anger he saw in Lina's eyes and in those of her comrades. 

"Your overconfidence could spell you end, Tern." A man's voice said, from above. 

"What?!" the dragon roared, as a white-clad figure appeared above them.

"But it can't be…………………" Teim muttered, as he stared at the figure in disbelief


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

"Shiroi…………………" Rain murmured, as the white-clad figure descended from his perch, landing gracefully next to her. 

"So, you have regained your power, Shiroi?" Tern growled.

"Yes. And it seems that your days of terrorizing this realm are through. You shall atone for the annihilation of the Mazoku race with your life." Shiroi said, with anger in his ice blue eyes.

"The Mazoku…………….." Amelia whispered.

"Are gone…………..?" Teim finished, shocked that such a thing had happened.

"Yes, that was the whole reason why Xellos had been taken from you; Tern wanted him to witness first hand the destruction of the Mazoku race. Xellos is the last of his kind." Shiroi said, as he gave Tern a look that could have frozen fire.

"Poor Xellos-san………….." Amelia said, softly. 

"So all this was just for your revenge?! You destroyed the lives of hundreds just to get back at one?!" Ashram asked, infuriated.

"But of course, knight of Marmo! Now that you all know, you must also die!" Tern roared, as he assumed dragon shape and started shaking the fortress down on top of them.

"We must get out of here! This whole place is about to collapse!" Parn shouted, as he and others started running to the exit. 

"Oh hell!" Ghim shouted, as he and others grabbed onto those that could Raywing and flew out with them. They reached the outside just as the fortress collapsed. 

"Whew…………." Spark muttered, relieved to have gotten out alive.

"But it's not over yet!" Zelgadis shouted, as Tern erupted from the ruins, in all his fiendish glory.

"Hey! Where's Filia-san and Xellos-san?" Amelia asked, suddenly realizing that the two weren't there.

"Right here, Amelia." Filia said, as she walked out of the shadows, with Xellos leaning heavily on her shoulder. 

"Filia! Xellos!" Lina yelped, looking relieved despite herself. Within moments, the entire group had reunited and was gazing at the formidable sight of the dragon Tern. 

"He's so big!" Leaf murmured.

"But Shooting Star was about the same size." Cecil said, looking tired as he held a wound in his arm closed. 

"Yes, but we don't have a lava pit to drop him into like we did with Shooting Star. We'll have to think of another way to destroy him." Ashram said, as SoulCrusher pulsated in his hand. Then an idea came into Neese's mind.

"Sir Parn, King Ashram, why don't we send someone to the Dragon Rider kingdom and get Mycen?" Neese suggested. 

"Mycen? The Golden Dragon guardian of that kingdom? What makes you think he'd be willing to help?" Ashram asked.

"Well, he did come and fight against Narse, the dragon of Marmo." Deedlit said, thoughtfully.

"But who will go and get him?" Spark asked.

"I will." Filia said, as she stood up.

"You, Filia? Are you sure?" Lina asked, since she had knowledge of the mighty dragon, Mycen. 

"It's the least I can do." Filia said.

"I'm going with you." Xellos said, struggling to his feet and standing alongside Filia.

"Well, what a switch! You're actually gonna help us this time, Xellos?" Lina asked. Xellos said nothing, as Filia changed into her dragon form and he climbed onto her back.

"We'll cover for you, then. Good luck, you two." Cecil said, as he watched Filia take off. Before Tern could set his sights of Filia and Xellos, the rest of the group launched into an attack. A number of well-aimed Freeze Arrows froze Tern's wings into blocks of solid ice, making him unable to fly. 

"DRAGON SLAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!" Lina cried, blowing Tern's wings completely off with that one powerful spell. 

"You little bitch!" Tern roared, as blood spewed from the places where the wings had been. Lina merely smirked in satisfaction. But Tern had a trick up his sleeve; within seconds, he had grown back his wings and spat fire in every direction.

"What the hell?!" Lina screeched, leaping to get out of the way before the flames could burn her.

"I hope Filia and Xellos get back with Mycen soon! I don't know how long we can last!" Rain shouted, putting up a protection spell before some flames could reach her. 

Meanwhile, Filia and Xellos were soaring across the watery divide between Alacrast and Lodoss. 

"Filia-chan, turn to the south. The Dragon Rider kingdom is in the mountain range closest to Lodoss' shoreline." Xellos said. Filia nodded and flew in the direction Xellos had indicated. She looked back when Xellos coughed harshly into his hands. 

"Are you all right, Xellos?" Filia asked, with concern in her voice. The Mazoku smiled weakly at her. Filia knew, at that point, that she had to take Xellos somewhere first, in order to get his wounds tended to. Within the hour, they could see the kingdom below them, barely discernible from the mountains surrounding it. 

"Hello over there!" a jocular female voice called. Startled, both Filia and Xellos looked around for the source and saw that a Dragon Rider was flying alongside them.

"Hello." Xellos said, in response, giving Filia a look that meant she had to remain silent, unless she wanted to scare the Dragon Rider away. 

"You've got one gorgeous dragon! She almost looks like a smaller version of Mycen! Where did you find her?" the Dragon Rider asked, while Filia blushed from the compliment.

"Sore wa himitsu desu!" Xellos replied, in his usual cheerful tone. For once, Filia was glad that he had chosen to respond like that!

"Aw, c'mon! I'll keep bugging you till you do tell me!" the Dragon Rider said, teasingly. 

"Sorry, but I can't tell you." Xellos said, before wincing a little and wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Hey, are you hurt or something?" the Dragon Rider asked, noticing the pained look on Xellos' face.

"I've had a rough time with a Demon Dragon. A band of warriors is on Alacrast now, fighting it. They sent me to find the guardian dragon, Mycen." Xellos replied, twisting the facts around in order to protect Filia. 

"Then you must see Queen Shiris. She must know of this! Follow me!" the Dragon Rider said, as she changed direction and started heading for the only prominent building in the mountain range; a castle. 

Ashram and Zelgadis struggled to stand after a blast of dark energy from Tern had knocked them aside. 

"I…………..I don't think any of our magic is cutting it…………." Zelgadis gasped, as he leaned on a boulder for support.

"We need a dragon to beat a dragon." Ashram murmured, ignoring the blood running freely down his face. 

"Fools! No mortal creature could ever hope to defeat me! This land will be your grave!" Tern roared, as he let loose another blast of fire.

"Spirit of water, blessed maiden! Shield us from the dragon's flames!" all of the elves in the group shouted, releasing their water spirits in a collective counter-spell. 

"I call upon the spirit of the wind! Break the wings of our foe and render him unable to fly! Now!" Shiroi shouted, calling upon his natural magic to try and bring down the dragon. There was a mighty roar, and a thundering crack, signaling that Shiroi's efforts were not in vain. 

"I should have killed you a long time ago, Shiroi!" Tern snarled, as he fired what appeared to be an Elmekia Lance at Shiroi. But, before anyone could react, a brilliant red light surrounded Shiroi, protecting him from the attack. 

"What the………………?!" Lina yelped.

"Rezo…………….." Zelgadis and Rain muttered, shocked at this development. 

"Rezo………………….he's come back from beyond the grave to help…………." Teim murmured, stunned when the red light took the form of the dead Red Priest. 

"Thank you, old friend." Shiroi said, getting a slight nod from the ghostly image of Rezo, before they both turned to face the dragon.

"We're all together again, even though one of us is in spirit." Rain said, as she and Teim took their places beside the Red and White Priests.

"What are they doing, Zelgadis-san?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know." Zelgadis replied, as he watched the four Sages of the Age face the dragon. 

"We call upon the power that was endowed to us, at the time of our births! Build us a wall to defend our friends! Dragon Wall!" the four shouted, their staffs letting off powerful amounts of energy. 

"Foolishness." Tern growled, before letting loose an attack. To his surprise, the invisible barrier repelled the attack!

"What?!" Tern roared, infuriated. 

"You never counted on this, did you, Tern?" Lina asked, in her usual smart-ass way. Tern merely growled and tried again, getting the same result as before. 

"Let's hope that barrier holds." Parn said, as he watched Tern attack the barrier with all his strength.

"That's about all we can do now." Spark said, as Neese added some strength to the barrier by calling upon Marfa. 

"You mean Parn and the rest are on Alacrast fighting a dragon?! Why didn't they come and get help from this kingdom?!" Shiris, queen of the Dragon Riders, asked.

"I guess they didn't have time to." Xellos replied, silently noting how alike this woman was to Lina Inverse.

"And you came all this way on your own to get Mycen's aid?" Orson, the newly crowned King, asked, quietly.

"Well, not exactly." Xellos said, as he looked at Filia (who was looking in on the conversation through a window).

"I see. Well, since Parn and Deedlit are my friends, I might as well go to their aid. Orson, let's go and see if Mycen is up to fighting that dragon alongside us." Shiris said, not noticing the look of relief of Xellos' face. As they all walked down into the cavernous hiding place of Mycen, Xellos could feel fear creep into him. This was the most powerful Golden Dragon to ever live on this world, and he was going down to meet him, face to face. Filia, who was still in dragon form, reassured Xellos with a gentle nudge. When they had finally arrived inside the dragon's lair, all of them, even Filia, was amazed by what they saw. There, lying in a sleeping position, was the mighty dragon, Mycen!

"It doesn't matter how many times I see this dragon, he's still an amazing sight!" Shiris murmured, watching as Filia approached the larger golden dragon. The moment he sensed her presence, he opened his great eyes and looked at her. Filia froze; she could sense that Mycen was making sure she was what he thought she was. Finally, he spoke, and all activity ceased in the cavern.

"What brings you here, young one?" Mycen asked, in a rumbling, yet gentle, voice.

"My friends need help, Mycen-sama." Filia replied, not noticing when Shiris nearly fell over herself. 

"Why do they need my help, child?" Mycen asked.

"They are being attacked by a demon dragon." Filia replied, looking up when she noticed that Mycen was gazing at Xellos. 

"That one, is he here to help his friends as well?" Mycen asked. Filia gave Xellos a meaningful look.

"I don't have much else left, since my kind has been eradicated by the demon dragon, Lord Mycen." Xellos said, quietly and honestly. 

"It seems that Karla's meddling has finally come to a head." Mycen said, as he stood on all fours and stretched his great, birdlike wings. 

"What do you mean, Lord Mycen?" Shiris asked, curious as to what he meant. 

"Young human, in order to tell you all that Karla has done since the fall of Kastuul is to go back almost two thousand years. It would take far too long to tell you of what happened between the four races. But, I can tell you this; she was responsible for the outbreak of those wars and others throughout this world's history. And now, after all that time, the final product of it all has resurfaced, taken his revenge, and is now fighting some would-be slayers. If we are to save your friends, then we must hurry." Mycen said, as he prepared to leave his nest.

"Lord Mycen?" Xellos asked, with an out of character note of anxiety in his voice.

"Yes, young Mazoku?" Mycen asked, turning his great head to look at Xellos.

"How did this 'Karla' manage to influence the Mazoku?" Xellos asked.

"The only one who could have answered that question was Zelas Mettallium." Mycen replied. Xellos' eyes widened, then he looked away, a grimace coming across his face.

"Xellos?" Filia asked, concerned.

"I think…………..I think it's best that I remain here, Filia-chan………..I won't be of much use on the battlefield." Xellos said, his eyes glazed with pain.

"I'll see to it that he gets to a healer. You go with Shiris and Mycen. I'll be along after you." Orson said, as he shouldered Xellos' weight and looked at Filia. Filia nodded, gave Xellos a parting look, then went after Shiris and Mycen, hoping that they weren't going to be too late. 

Shiroi winced when another assault landed on the barrier he and the other three Sages were holding between them and Tern. The battle was going badly; the fighters were beaten and bloody from the long battle, and the healers that were with the group were wearing themselves thin trying to keep them alive. 

"We……………..we can't give up now…………….not when that dragon is still on the loose." Ashram gasped, as Pirotess bound an abdominal wound in what remained of her traveling cloak. 

"But we're not strong enough. Even the Four Sages are having a hard time keeping the dragon at bay." Leaf said, as she tried to bandage a painful looking gash on Gourry's left arm. 

"But we can't give up! Xellos and Filia went to get Mycen! We can't very well die before they can get back with him!" Lina said, trying to keep everyone's hopes up. 

"She's right. If we lose hope now, then Filia and Xellos would have wasted their time trying to get help. We've got to hang on!" Spark said, determinedly. Then Sheen stood up.

"Mairi, great god of war, give us the courage we need to continue this fight!" Sheen cried, as light came from nowhere and surrounded the weary group. 

"In the name of Justice, we will triumph!" Amelia added, and, for once, everyone agreed with her.

"And in the name of the Dragon Rider kingdom, you guys are off the hook!" a woman's voice shouted, from above.

"Oh no………….not her again." Cecil muttered, as Shiris and a host of her Dragon Riders arrived on the scene, in full battle regalia. Behind them was Mycen and Filia. 

"All right, the cavalry's here!" Lina shouted, pleased that they had arrived just in time. 

"And not a moment too soon!" Pirotess said, greatly relieved. Tern roared when he saw Mycen descend into position in front of him. 

"So, you are the great Mycen, eh?" Tern asked, with a sneer. 

"Yes. And it is time to put the last of Karla's ghosts to rest." Mycen replied, as the battle began between the two dragons. 

"But why are you here, Shiris?" Parn asked, dropping formalities for the moment.

"To get you and your friends away from here. Mycen is going to take that demon dragon out in the only way he knows how; incineration. He agreed to let us come along so we could evacuate you guys from the area before he does that." Shiris said. 

"So our battle is over, then?" Amelia asked. Shiris nodded. 

"Then we can let the barrier come down now." Shiroi said, having heard the conversation with his sensitive ears. The two other living Sages nodded, and walked away. Rezo's ghost remained where he was for a few moments, before he faded away. Within the hour, all of the adventurers were on dragon-back and were flying away from the battleground. 

"I hope nobody at home considers us cowards for leaving that battle to Mycen." Lina said, guiltily. 

"If they do, then they would not live to see tomorrow." Ashram said, hinting at Lina's great power with that one statement.

"Damn straight!" Lina said, agreeing with Ashram wholeheartedly. Just as they reached the coast of Lodoss, there was a tremendous explosion. 

"Seems that Mycen's doing what he'd told us he was going to do." Shiris said, as they all descended into the mountain range.


	11. Conclusion

Conclusion

Xellos opened his eyes when someone entered his room. 

"Xellos? How do you feel?" Filia asked, her voice soft.

"It's still hurts, but I feel a little better, Filia-chan." Xellos replied, as the dragon maiden sat down at his bedside. The best healers the Dragon Rider kingdom had to offer had tended to Xellos' wounds, and he was slowly on his way to recovery because of the attention his wounds had received. For a few moments, neither of them knew what to say, then Xellos looked at Filia, lavender eyes questioning.

"Filia-chan?" Xellos asked.

"Yes, Xellos?" Filia replied.

"Whatever became of Shiroi? Did he get out of the fortress? Or did he die there?" Xellos asked, showing uncharacteristic concern for the elf.

"He survived. In fact, he's better than just all right." Filia said, turning and looking when a man wearing white robes walked in. 

"Shiroi?!" Xellos yelped. Shiroi nodded.

"This was my secret, Xellos. I am the White Priest, Shiroi. Three years ago, I traveled extensively; I wanted to find out if there were still elves on the other continents. When I arrived on Alacrast after I had investigated Lodoss and Marmo, I wandered Alacrast for a while. Then, almost two years ago, an elf child came with an urgent message from the forest Callista was from. The clan leader had fallen ill and needed a healer. The problem was, was the fact that the nearest healer lived in Kanon. Since they had heard many tales concerning Rezo, they thought I was capable of the same kind of magic. I went to the elf town, healed the leader, and settled down there. Then Tern attacked. He leveled the forest. I did what I could to ward him off, but, for some reason, my powers were extremely weak and all I could do was shield a few others and myself. Then, just as the strain was becoming too great, I lost consciousness. The next thing I knew was that I was in a dungeon, my powers were next to nonexistent, and the entire elf village was gone. It was in that childish form that you first met me, Xellos." Shiroi said, as Xellos took all the information in. 

"How are the others doing?" Xellos asked.

"All of the warriors are expected to make a complete recovery. The healers and sorcerers that had accompanied you to Alacrast are resting. Needless to say, you will all be going home alive." Shiroi said, quietly. 

"Shiroi, would you mind stepping out of the room for a moment? I need to talk to Xellos alone." Filia said, after giving Xellos an almost warm look. 

"Certainly." Shiroi said, then was gone.

"He's almost as bad about teleporting as you usually are." Filia said, laughing when she heard Rain let out a yell in one of the rooms below.

"Do tell. So, why do you want to talk to me alone, Filia-chan? Is there a special reason?" Xellos asked, with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Do you really want to know?" Filia asked, leaning in so that she was a few inches from Xellos' face.

"H-hai…………" Xellos said, almost afraid she would whip out her trusty mace again.

"Sore wa himitsu desu!" Filia said, cheerfully.

"Filia-chan!!! That wasn't…………..?!?!?" Xellos was cut off when Filia suddenly kissed him, right on the lips. Xellos was so startled that he sat frozen for a few seconds, then relaxed and wrapped his arms around Filia's shoulders. 

"_This feels_……………….._right, somehow. I wonder_………………" Xellos thought, amidst the swirling emotions that clouded his brain.

"_I have the feeling that this will work._" Filia thought, not knowing that Xellos' thoughts were running along the same lines. Unknown to them, an invisible figure watched as the two finally came to the same conclusion about their feelings. 

"_He'll be all right. He has her to take care of him now. Strange how fate does that, isn't it?_" Zelas Mettallium thought, as she watched the two part from their first kiss and stare dazedly into one another's eyes. With that thought in mind, Zelas departed, satisfied that Xellos was going to be all right. 

__

~Owari~


End file.
